By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Forty-three years ago, LaPlace native Roland LaBranche Jr. wagered a bet on the first play of the first game of the first season in the storied history of the New Orleans Saints.

On that play, Saints kick returner John Gilliam ran the game’s opening kickoff back 94 yards for the Saints’ first ever touchdown.

Although the Saints would end up losing that game 27-13 to the Los Angeles Rams, LaBranche, by virtue of the opening score, would walk away from the stadium a big winner.

“He entered a pool at the game and wound up winning this huge bottle of whiskey,” said LaBranche’s daughter Annette Ayme. “It came with its own little platform and, as kids, we were never able to touch it.”

The prize was a gallon-sized bottle of Old Granddad Whiskey. Ayme said her father saw his little victory as a sign of bigger and better things, which explains the little pact he made with himself and his family.

“He specifically stated that the bottle would not be opened until the Saints reached the Super Bowl,” Ayme said. “I don’t think he quite expected it to take this long.”

As the years passed — and the Saints’ struggled along season after season — the bottle continued to sit, collecting dust in a bedroom at LaBranche’s LaPlace home.

In 2000, LaBranche’s home caught fire, and the roof caved in on the room holding the bottle. Ayme said as the family sifted through the rubble, they came across the bottle still sitting in its metal carrier in the corner of the room.

“It looked like it wasn’t even touched,” Ayme said. “It was clear that this bottle had something special about it.”

Ayme said her father passed away in 2005, the year before the Saints would come as close as ever to reaching the big game.

With family by his side, Ayme said her father uttered his final instructions to his four children.

“He said to all of us, ‘Do not touch that bottle until we get to the Super Bowl,’” Ayme said. “It was very important to him.”

Now that the Saints have finally reached the big game, Ayme said her family is ready to crack the seal on the aged bottle of alcohol, either to celebrate a monumental victory or agonize in defeat. The family has scheduled a party that will bring Ayme’s brothers, Roland LaBranche Jr. and Timmy LaBranche, and sister Patsy Millet together.

“We will definitely open it win or lose.” Ayme said. “His instructions were to wait until the Saints get there, not to wait until they win. I think we will probably wait until the end of the game just to be safe.”